


Something Strange on Bleeker Street

by ASharksReadingGlasses



Series: Ghost in the NYC [12]
Category: Danny Phantom, Deadpool - All Media Types, Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Universe - Fandom, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Ghost Theory, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Suicide, Past Suicide Attempts, Spiritual wounds, Swearing, Tutelary Danny Fenton, honestly that should be the first tag I put here, mentions of depression, mystic arts, puns, the puns are here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29023803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASharksReadingGlasses/pseuds/ASharksReadingGlasses
Summary: Danny's ice powers start to go on the fritz and Peter tries to ask Tony for help. When Tony admits that he hasn't had time to wrap his head around ectoology, Peter and Wade have two choices: Get Danny's parents, or try to find someone else that can help before Danny freezes to death. It's a good thing there's onestrangemystical doctor still left in New York City.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Peter Parker, Danny Fenton & Wade Wilson, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, Teem Halloween & Stephen Strange
Series: Ghost in the NYC [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045206
Comments: 109
Kudos: 622





	Something Strange on Bleeker Street

**Author's Note:**

> Made in collaboration with [Stove](https://the-stove-is-on-fire.tumblr.com).

Wade watched from the laundry room as Danny clicked away on Peter's laptop, huddled under a mountain of blankets on the couch, before turning back inside to finish his load of washing. This was the fifth load Wade had started, but it was better than trying to get all his shit cleaned at a laundromat and it gave him an excuse to check up on the kid. Ever since their late night talk two days ago, it was like Danny had taken one giant emotional step back from both Peter and Wade. Don't get him wrong, Danny was still as affectionate as a puppy and as clingy as leech (and Wade meant that in the nicest way possible), but he didn't _talk_ anymore. Sure, he still answered their questions, and still cooed at Fido when Danny thought they weren't looking, but that was it. Danny had stopped trying to make conversation or spouting his random thoughts, had stopped getting back at Wade by playing ridiculous pranks, and had gone back to picking at his food. It was like meeting the kid for the first time all over again, only this time it wasn't trust that was holding Danny back, it was fear.

Danny was afraid of something, and it was driving both him and Peter _nuts_!

Wade didn't even think Danny _knew_ he was doing it. It was sorta like a mix between his and Peter's depressive moods, which was a nightmare to think about. When Wade was depressed, he pushed everyone away to be alone and struggled not to put a bullet between his own eyes. Peter liked to go all silent and brooding, remembering things he lost ~~(people he couldn't save)~~. Danny was an unfortunate mixture of both, but Wade was thankful he seemed to lean towards Peter's broody, self-reflective tendencies than his own trigger happy ones. And nothing they did seemed to help, which was _the worst!_ Danny had turned down Peter's tentative offer to patrol with him tonight and even snuggling with Fido hadn't made a dent in the kid's mood. Fido had taken to curling around Danny in constant comfort.

 _ **You don't think it's a girlfriend - or maybe a boyfriend** **?**_ Violet piped up, and Wade stilled in disbelief as he sorted his extra suit and gloves from his regular clothes. **_Kids are usually terrified about that, right?_**

 ** _You_** , Greeny hissed incredulously, _**Are a waste of headspace. I'm ashamed to share the same plane of existence with you.**_ Violet gasped indignantly.

 _ **Whatever it is**_ , Red countered, _**It's eating the kid up, a lot.**_

 _ **You all should have been drowned at birth if you can't figure this out**_ , Whitey mocked, _**It's obviously his ghost powers.**_

 _ **FOOLS!**_ Greeny screeched over all of them, and Wade flinched at the volume. _**IMBECILES! MORONS! IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACES!**_

 _ **Put a sock in it, Green-bean**_ , Yellow sighed, **_Not everyone likes to read_ _ahead._** All of the boxes started to shout over one another and Wade slammed his hand down on his the dryer to quiet them.

"Shut up," Wade growled harshly, throwing an unmatched sock into the correct pile. "I can't even hear myself think with y'all yackin' away in my ear."

"Wade?" Danny asked from the living room, and Wade jolted. "Are you okay?"

"All good, home slice!" Wade assured him. "I just stubbed my toe. Washer jumped right out at me! Keep your hands to yourself the next time you come in here!" Wade held his breath as Danny paused.

"All right," Danny replied slowly, not even a hint of a chuckle as he went back to brooding (which, _rude,_ Wade's jokes were amazeballs!), and Wade sighed. He thought Peter might have mentioned the boxes to Danny before, but he hadn't had an full ~~breakdown~~ episode in front of the kid yet and he wanted to keep it that way. As he prepared to finish separating his clothes, he let the gears turn in his head. His instincts were leaning towards Whitey's theory-,

 _ **Tch!**_ Whitey scoffed, _**Obviously.**_

 _ **-**_ but he also agreed with Greeny that it was probably more than that, and he struggled to think of what it could be.

 _Maybe he's guilty about something?_ Wade thought. _Something about his ghost powers that make him uncomfortable..._ And he remembered what Danny had told him and Peter when they were preparing for their fight with Plasmius.

 _"Vlad is considered a halfa by other ghosts, but he's more **ghostly**_ _than I am," Danny answered as he shivered. "I just-, I don't want to let go a part of my humanity to be a stronger ghost, because I know what kind of monster it'll make me if I do. I'm scared that if I develop an obsession I'll be more ghost than human."_

 ** _Fucking finally!_ **Greeny shouted, **_Now we're getting somewhere!_**

Wade pondered as he grabbed his pile of clothes and strolled down the hallway into Peter's room to put them in his duffel bag. The boxes were silent as Wade finished stuffing his duffel, filing away a few switchblades and a hand gun or two between his clothes.

 _ **You don't think he's killed anyone because of his obsession, do you?**_ Red wondered, and Wade froze.

Danny had told them that ghosts were compelled to fulfill their obsessions, sometimes using violence if they had to. And while Wade wouldn't really care that much if Danny _had_ killed someone (he himself had over a hundred confirmed kills and counting, and some of those weren't exactly _kosher_ , who was he to judge - hell, Peter probably wouldn't care that much if Danny gave them both a good reason) Wade knew that with Danny's level of _goodness,_ something like that would tear him up inside. Wade bit his lip as he exited Peter's room and wandered back down the hall, peeking over at Danny from the kitchen's open door frame. The kid was still snuggled up on the sofa, Fido curled on top of his head and constantly purring into Danny's hair.

That was another problem; since Danny's nightmare, the kid couldn't seem to get warm. As in Peter's level of "Spider mutation made it impossible to thermoregulate" kind of fuckery. Danny shivered constantly now, even when sitting next to the heater or under an electric blanket. It had kicked Peter into overdrive when he had first noticed it, worried that Danny had somehow gotten sick but the kid wasn't running a temp - or at least one in the right direction. Danny hadn't been getting chills from a fever, he was shivering because he was actually cold. It had honestly thrown Peter for a loop, and Wade had semi-joked that maybe it was a ghost flu. Danny had just shrugged listlessly, too emotionally drained to care. The ghostly fever had worried Wade for a little bit too, but what the hell was he gonna do? The only relief Danny seemed to get was when he changed into his ghost form, so he had been switching between them for the last two days when he couldn't stand the cold. Speaking of which, maybe Wade could...

"Hey home slice," Wade called out from the kitchen, and Danny's head popped out of the mound of blankest, Fido rising along with him as Danny peered over the back of the sofa. "Why don't you try playing with Fido for a bit? They're starting to look a little round, don't you think?" As soon as the word "playing" left his mouth, Fido jumped from Danny's head into the air in excited whistles and clicks, flying complicated circles around Danny's head. The kid rolled his eyes.

"They're a shade, Wade," Danny groaned, attempting to burrow back into his blanket fortress of solitude, "They're supposed to look like that. And it's _training - training!_ "

"Oops, my mistake," Wade grinned slyly as Fido dove back after Danny, chirping insistently in his ear and tugging him back out of his blankets. "Fido looks like they've already decided though. Better get to it, squirt. Chop chop." Danny turned his head to glare at him but it slowly melted into a small grin.

"Yeah, okay," Danny agreed, phasing out of his warm cocoon and shivering as he sat criss-crossed on the floor behind the sofa. He changed forms, and started trailing his ecto-charged fingers through the air as Fido chased after them. Wade watched for a little bit as the kid's mood seemed to get better the longer they ~~played~~ trained, and he turned into the kitchen to start lunch with a tiny fist pump.

 _Nailed it!_ Wade thought as he rummaged around in the cabinets for something for them to eat. That was the happiest he had seen Danny since his nightmare, and Wade wasn't about to kick a gift horse (Shade? Ghost? _Ghost horse?_ ) in the mouth. He found some cans of soup in one of the cabinets, and decided _screw it_. He may not be as good a cook as Peter, but he could manage tomato soup and grilled cheese, right?

 _ **Doubtful**_ , Whitey laughed, and Wade gave the box the equivalent of the middle finger.

He put the tomato soup to simmer in a bot on the stove and started toasting slices of bread for grilled cheese in a frying pan, adding bits of meat to the sandwiches for variety. As the bread goldened and the cheese melted, Wade went back to try and think of the best way to bring up the topic with Danny and he gnawed his lip. Subtly wasn't really his thing, and Wade wasn't going to force the problem out in the open. Not if Danny wasn't comfortable talking about it. Peter would probably know a better way to broach the issue with the kid, so he would just have to wait until Peter got home from the Daily Bugle to talk to him.

Wade turned off the stove, poured the soup into two bowls, and put the grilled cheeses on two separate plates. The soup was a little lumpy and one of the sandwiches was a bit burned, but that didn't matter. _I_ _n your face Peter and Whitey!_ Wade could _totally_ cook something besides pancakes! He began looking for a tray to bring it out into the living room so Danny could eat lunch in his pile of blankets when Wade noticed something weird. He was cold. Like, skin prickled with goose bumps, teeth starting to chatter kind of cold. Visible steam was pluming off the soup and sandwiches, and Wade's breath fogged out in front of him with each exhale.

 ** _Three guess as to where this could be coming from,_** Greeny sung snidely, _**And the first two don't count.**_

 _Son of a bitch!_ Wade abandoned lunch in the kitchen and dashed towards the living room. He skidded to a stop just as he reached the front of the hallway, and let his mouth hang open. The air in the living room was much colder than the kitchen, and back of the sofa and a small circle of the floor around Danny was painted in frost. Danny seemed to be oblivious to the _Frozen_ ™ remake he was enacting behind him, too distracted by squishing Fido's face gently between his hands to notice. Wade tried to school his expression so Danny wouldn't panic, but - _whoopsie._ Danny's eyes snapped over to him and he stilled, letting Fido drop out of his hands.

"What?" Danny asked anxiously, and he noticed how Wade's attention was fixed on the sofa behind him while Fido trilled curiously, mouthing at Danny's fingers. Danny raised an eyebrow and turned to look.

"Kid, wait a sec-," Wade tried to stall, but as soon a Danny saw the frost trailing up the couch and crawling further along the floor, he went pale and jumped onto his feet. Fido zipped into the air, letting out distressed whistles as Danny took a few steps backwards and left frosted footprints in his wake. With each step he took, Danny looked more anxious and panicked, jolting when he backed himself into the back right corner of the living room by the balcony. Frost bloomed out from where Danny's back met the corner, speedily creeping along the wall, floor, and balcony window in his fear and confusion.

"Wade!" Danny shouted, petrified, "Wade, I'm not-, I'm not trying to do this!" Fido zipped unhappily over both their heads, whining in concern.

"Hey," Wade said nervously, following Danny into the corner, "Hey, home slice, look at me! You're fine!" Wade took another step closer and Danny flinched, tucking his hands close to his body.

"No, don't!" Danny told him fearfully, curling in on himself and the frost inched farther along balcony window. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Healing factor," Wade reminded him cockily, taking another step closer so he was an arm's length away from Danny, and ignored the frost on the floor boards under his bare feet. "You couldn't hurt me if you tried, kid."

"Just because you have a healing factor, doesn't mean you can't feel pain," Danny argued stubbornly, his breath starting to hitch, and _oh shit, Danny could not have a panic attack right now!_

"Frostbite ain't so bad," Wade responded, "The regeneration makes it feel all tingly, like pins and needles when your arm falls asleep. But, kid, I need you to try and relax, okay? Panicking is going to make it worse."

"I'm trying," Danny gasped, clenching his hands into the jumpsuit on his arms while another layer of frost crawled along the wall.

"Just take a deep breath," Wade returned, "And chill out." Everything stilled.

 _ **I can't believe you just said that**_ , Violet gushed. **_That was perfect!_**

 _Shut up,_ Wade snapped, because fuck a duck, that actually seemed to work! Danny's shoulder shook as he tried to stifle a hysterical giggle, and even Fido stopped whining to let out a hiccup of laughter.

"I-, I guess I'm on some thin ice, huh?" Danny wheezed out between grim chuckles, and Wade grinned.

"Icee what you did there, but that was kinda an ice-sore," Wade countered, scooching an inch closer to Danny.

"Don't I snow it," Danny retaliated, his breath still hitching slightly, but he wasn't one word away from a panic attack anymore. "It's a frost-trating situation."

"Well melt," Wade retorted, then gestured to himself, "But you can't cold a candle to all this!" Danny out right laughed at that one, unclenching his hands and lowering his arms to his sides.

"That was a good one," Danny shot back, straightening up against the wall, "Got any others? Asking thaw a friend." Wade rolled his eyes.

"Weak, but I'll let it slide," Wade snickered, and Danny smiled feebly back as the frost began to slow. "All good home slice?"

"Could be better," Danny bit out, his focus flickering between Wade and the ice starting to form on the walls. Wade moved closer, getting Danny to focus solely on him as Fido chirped nervously behind him.

"Hey, you're okay," Wade reminded, glad that he had decided to stay in his thick sweatshirt and sweatpants for the morning; even with those he could feel a chill radiating off Danny and creeping past his clothes.

"I don't know what's going on," Danny remarked, trembling in trepidation.

"It's fine kid," Wade replied, slowly reaching out a hand to put on Danny's shoulder. As soon as his hand touched down, frost started to worm its way up Wade's fingers. He had to bite his tongue to smother a gasp, because _damn_ , it was like he dunked his hand into a bucket of ice water. Once Wade knew it was safe though and he wouldn't traumatize Danny by freezing his fingers off or something, he brought his other hand to Danny's shoulders and started rubbing them in comfort. "See squirt, totally all right." Danny exhaled in relief, relaxing marginally in Wade's hold. Fido took that as a cue to come closer, plopping themselves on Wade's shoulder and churred soothingly at Danny.

"Wade, I'm a little freaked out right now," Danny admitted quietly as he continued to tremble, and Wade's heart ached a little. "This-, this has never happened to me before! I mean, I'm used to getting new powers every once and awhile, but none of them have ever been this out of control. I don't-, what should I do?" Wade gaped a little.

Wade wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box - sure, he knew military tactics, could improvise plans on the fly, memorized about fifty of his favorite gun types and brands so he could dismantle and reload them by touch alone, could read body language to tell if someone was going to dick him over, and was capable of making a bomb if he needed to. But he's never had anyone look to him for guidance, and it was sort of terrifying, filling him with the same sort of dread as the idea of people thinking of him as hero.

 ** _Oh, man the fuck up_** , Whitey growled and Wade swallowed. 

_How about 'no', but let's totally say we did_ , Wade thought

 _ **Come on,**_ Yellow piped up, _**Can't be that hard.**_

 _ **This whole winter wonderland started when he changed forms, idiot**_ , Greeny reminded him, and an idea clicked into place. _  
_

"Try changing back," Wade suggested as gently as he could while frost slowly moved past his fingers and trailed up his arms. "You said it's harder to access your ghost powers when you're in your normal form." Danny nodded enthusiastically, closing his eyes in concentration.

A white ring of electricity flickered into existence around Danny abdomen and hovered there for a moment as Danny's brow furrowed. Wade lifted his hands off Danny's shoulders as Danny absentmindedly brought one of his own hands up to his chest to clench at his jumpsuit. The light produced by the ring brightening, then split into two rings as they moved across Danny's body, changing him back. When Danny was complete transformed, he let out a shuddering exhale, his body already starting to shiver. Wade noticed that he was shivering a lot harder than he normally was from the past two days, and were Danny's lips turning _blue?_

If there was one other thing Wade was good at, it was knowing when he was in over his head. They needed Peter, _now_.

* * *

Peter raced along the sidewalk back to his apartment, his camera bag secured tightly under his arms as he weaved past people, occasionally giving out rushed apologies when he bumped into someone. Peter had always been grateful to find an apartment that was close enough to the Daily Bugle that he could walk, but he had never been more thankful for that than he was right now.

Wade had called him on his cell during the last two hours of his shift, and at first Peter had been wary about answering it. Wade usually preferred texting him during the day if he wanted to talk, only calling if he was particularly lonely, and really wanted (and needed) some company. Peter had answered the call hesitantly, but as soon as he heard Wade say Danny's name he was standing out of his chair, logging out of his work computer, and gathering his things. He had slipped his phone into his pocket as he made his way to J.J.'s office, opening the door without even knocking.

_"Parker!" J.J. had barked, lifting his head from a section of print he was proof reading. "What are you-!"_

_"I need to go," Peter told him without preamble. "Family emergency. I'll make up my hours next week."_

_"Now wait justa minute!" J.J. shouted at him as he stood up behind his desk and crossed his arms. "It's always a family emergency with you, isn't it Parker. What is it this time? Your dog piss on your carpet? Something with your aunt? Did you forget to turn the stove off-?" Peter saw red, and he clenched his hands into fists._

_"My kid's sick, all right!" Peter fumed, and he could see in his periphery a number of people turning their heads towards the commotion. "Is that good enough for you J.J.!? My kid is sick and he's getting worse!" Feeling particularly brave and fed up with J.J.'s bullshit, Peter added, "So either fire me so I can sue you for harassment, or take it out of my vacation hours because I'm leaving. My kid needs me." Peter slammed the office door closed and marched briskly out of the office, more than a few other employee's following him with their eyes as he left._

Peter hadn't bothered getting into his Spider Man suit so he could web to the apartment; it would have taken too long to find a secluded enough place to change, and it was early enough in the day that someone could spot him trying to get in through the balcony or the fire escape. So he stuck to the streets, cutting his time down by slipping through back alleys and darting between backed up traffic. He made it to the complex in under ten minutes, nearly ripping the handle off the lobby door as he used his key to get inside and headed strait for the stairs. Half way up the building, his spidey sense unexpectedly prickled and danced along his back, and he switched to taking three stairs at a time. He didn't stop moving until he was finally inside his apartment.

When he went through the front door, it was like stepping through a wall of hot air, the heat obviously cranked up a few degrees. Danny was sitting on the far end of the couch under the mound of blankets that had been left there since this morning. He was wearing Wade's hooded jacket over his PJs and one of Peter's scarfs around his neck with a cup of tea cradled in his hands. The electric blanket Peter had pulled out yesterday was turned on high, and an empty bowl of soup and themometer lay discarded on the coffee table. Even with all the extra heat, Danny still shivered, his teeth chattered, and his lips were tinged an alarming shade of blue.

Wade was sitting next to Danny on the couch, still in his sweatpants and sweater. One of his arms was around Danny's shoulders so he could tuck Danny into his side and share some of his body heat, while Fido was nestled into the crook of Wade's neck. The rest of the living room was a bit of a disaster. There were random puddles of water and sopping towels all over the floor, mostly behind the couch and in the back corner by the balcony. The balcony window was covered in a melting sheet of ice, adding to the mess. It looked like Wade had attempted to clean up the water, but had decided to stop halfway through to stay with Danny on the couch. Peter shed his coat, camera bag, and shoes at the door, not even bothering to hang them up as he rushed to kneel in front of Danny so they were eye level with each other.

"Hey Danny," Peter spoke softly.

"Hey Peter," Danny replied, bringing his mug to his lips to take a sip of hot tea. Peter brushed Danny's bangs to the side so he could lay the back of his hand across Danny's forehead. Danny's skin was like ice and Peter's heart hammered.

"What's his temperature?" Peter requested, turning to Wade.

"Eighty-nine degrees," Wade grimaced, rubbing his hand on Danny's arm under the blanket to generate heat, and Fido whined from his spot on Wade's neck. Peter blinked in horrified shock and gaped.

"Eighty-nine!? That's-! How is he moderately hypothermic? How long has he been like this?" Peter demanded, taking his hand away from Danny's forehead.

"I just wanted to stop feeling cold for a little while," Danny piped up miserably. "So I changed into my ghost form to train with Fido for bit. It was only for about ten, maybe fifteen minutes. And then-, then my powers went haywire! I didn't even _notice_ , not until Wade came back into the room." Danny paused to take another sip of warming tea. "I-, I freaked out a little bit, and frost and ice just started to cover everything I touched. Wade helped me calm down enough so I could change back, but now I'm like this."

"Hey, hey," Peter hastily reassured him from his position on the floor, "It's okay, I'm not mad - I promise. I'm just worried about you." Danny nodded in understanding, curling tighter into Wade's side.

"He's been like this since a little before I called you, so nearly ten minutes," Wade remarked as the blankets around Danny quivered as another bout of shivering began. "And it's going lower."

"Lower!?" Peter exclaimed as he jumped up. He brought his hands up to run through his hair as he started to pace. "I-, we have to take him to a hospital," Peter decided, starting to make his way back to the door for his coat when Danny reached out and grabbed his arm.

"No, Peter, wait," Danny begged even as his teeth chattered and he desperately tried to stay under the blankets. "I think it's-, something's wrong with my core. It-, it hurt when I tried to change back. Going to a hospital won't help."

"Maybe not," Peter argued, tucking Danny back under the blankets, "But they'll have better equipment to treat hypothermia, long enough that we can figure out what's going on."

"Peter, please," Danny pleaded, his eyes beginning to shimmer. "If I go to a hospital, they'll call _my parents!_ You and Wade could get in trouble!"

Peter stiffened; he could probably call Matt to go with them to the hospital to explain some of the situation to the staff, but that would take too long. With how quickly Danny's condition was worsening, they didn't have that kind of time and they couldn't risk the Fentons getting in touch with Danny. They still hadn't contacted Matt and Foggy, and both lawyers had mentioned that they were concerned Danny's parents might try something. They couldn't risk giving them the edge if they were planning on fighting Danny's emancipation.

"Damn it," Peter whispered, walking around the coffee table so he had more room to pace in front of the TV, rubbing fiercely at his hair.

Peter tried to think of what they could do. Danny definitely needed some type of medical attention, because whatever Wade was doing was only buying them time. But they also needed someone who knew a little about Danny, or at least about Phantom. Peter knew Matt had a nurse friend that helped him when he got seriously hurt, but she wouldn't have the proper equipment to help slow Danny's hypothermia, nor did she have any background about ghosts. But there was one person who might; Peter froze, dropping his hands out of his hair. He dug out his phone from his pocket, dialing the number by heart and began pacing again.

"Pick up, pick up," Peter mumbled frantically, bringing his other hand to his face to bite at his thumb nail. When the line connected, Peter felt like he wanted to collapse in relief.

"Genius billionaire hotline," Mr. Stark answered, his tone light and teasing, "What's up, Spiderling?"

"Mr. Stark-, Tony," Peter stuttered, and he could almost picture how Mr. Stark would perk up in alarm. Peter only ever called him 'Tony' when things were serious. "It's Phantom. His powers went haywire for some reason, and he's been hypothermic for nearly ten minutes."

"Friday, initiate Lock-down Protocol for this lab, Level 4," Mr. Stark snapped, and Peter could hear the sound of tools being dropped on a table as Mr. Stark abandoned his current project. "Save the current document, then bring up Phantom's file and any readings we kept from his visit. Peter, start from the beginning."

"Two days ago, D-, Phantom started to feel perpetually cold in his normal form," Peter began to tell him, but Mr. Stark cut him off.

"I'm sorry, his what?" Mr. Stark interrupted, confused.

"Phantom's a hybrid," Peter informed him, somewhat annoyed. "He can change forms; he has a ghost form and a human form. He's been switching between them for short periods of relief, but about fifteen minutes ago, some of his powers went out of control. We don't know why, but when he switched back, his temperature fell to eighty-nine degrees, and it's still dropping."

"Okay," Mr. Stark said crossly, his fingers tapping against the holographic computer screen, "Ignoring, for now, the fact that somehow a kid is both alive and dead at the same time, I think I've seen something similar before. When he was here, Phantom agreed to some tests, and there were a series of temperature spikes and valleys, but he didn't seem to notice them happening. You said that this began two days ago? And his temperature never rose at all during that time?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Peter told him, pacing some more. "But I don't think so, no."

"Damn it," Mr. Stark muttered, "Then it's something else. Friday, start searching through all the Fenton's research; look for studies that mention ectoentities, long periods of extremely cold temperatures, and/or anything that might disrupt a ghost's powers."

"Right away, Boss," Friday intoned primly, and Peter straightened up.

"Also look into anything that mentions ghost cores," Peter quickly added as he stilled, "Phantom said he felt something wrong with his core when he changed back."

"Parameter added," Friday recited, "Updating search results."

"That's my girl," Mr. Stark praised while beginning to browse through the results, dismissing some and keeping others before turning his attention back to Peter, "In the mean time, what are you doing right now for Phantom?"

"The heat's turned up in the apartment, we've got him in warm clothes, he's under a few quilts and an electric blanket, and he's been drinking warm fluids," Peter listed, treading a path in the carpet. "But that's just slowing whatever this is down. It's not helping."

"And you want to bring him here?" Mr. Stark asked, a little skeptically.

"You'll have better equipment to treat hypothermia and monitor his condition," Peter explained, gesturing with his hand. "And as soon as we figure out what's going on, we can treat him there."

"I don't think that's going to work," Mr. Stark said lightly and Peter stalled.

"Why not!?" Peter cried out.

"Pete, I may be a genius, but I'm not a doctor," Mr. Stark reminded him.

"You have multiple doctorates!" Peter rebutted, and Mr. Stark made a noise of frustration.

"In mechanical engineering, software design, and a minor in chemistry!" Mr. Stark yelled. "The most I know about human anatomy is basic first aid! Bringing him here would take too much time, and even if we did, I'm not exactly an expert in ectoology. Pete, most of the stuff in these papers just doesn't make any physical, God damn sense, and the stuff that does, I can barely wrap my head around! And not only that, this research is only a few years old! It could be completely wrong for all we know; not to mention, we don't know if any of this can be applied to Phantom because he's a hybrid."

"Tony, there has to be something we can do," Peter insisted, and Mr. Stark paused.

"Have you talked to his parents?" Mr. Stark questioned carefully, and Peter froze as his brain stalled.

"What are you talking about?" Peter whispered.

"Peter, you and I both know I'm smart enough to figure out who Phantom is," Mr. Stark responded, both exasperated and apologetic. "His parents are the only certified ghost experts in the world right now. They maybe able to help."

"No," Peter denied as he started pacing again, "No way in hell!"

"I know you mentioned that he's having difficulties with them," Mr. Stark continued and Peter grit his teeth, "Whatever's going on can't be more important than his life-."

"They shot him, Tony!" Peter yelled into the phone, and he saw Danny, Wade, and Fido, flinch on the couch while Mr. Stark went dead silent. "When he tried to tell them about his powers, they shot him! I'm trying to get him emancipated so he can feel _safe_ again, and I'm not about to give them an edge if they decide to put up a fight. They are _never_ hurting him again."

"All right," Mr. Stark conceded after a moment. "I didn't know; I'm sorry." Peter swallowed down his anger and let out a long exhale.

"I know," Peter acknowledged quietly. "I'm sorry too. What about the results, do you have anything?"

"Yeah," Mr. Stark returned, tactfully accepting Peter's change in topic, "But it's nothing good; _Stages of ectoentity core destabilization_ is the closest thing I could find." Peter's heart stuttered.

"Core destabilization?" He echoed, and Danny instantly paled while Fido whined and ducked behind Wade's shoulder, "What the hell is that?"

"According to the Fenton's research, a ghost's core is a culmination of a ghost's being and identity, as well as their power source," Mr. Stark answered, mumbling slightly as he browsed through the article. "They list reasons for cores to destabilize, which then leads to..."

"To what?" Peter needled insistently.

"Core destabilization usually leads to complete elimination of the ectoentity," Friday finished for him somberly, and Peter's breath hitched. The line was silent for a long moment before Peter spoke.

"What causes core destabilization?" Peter demanded decisively.

"Pete-," Mr. Stark tried, but Peter continued.

"Tony, you said it yourself; we don't know if any of those concepts can be applied to-, to Phantom because he's a hybrid. It could be nothing, he might not-. Either way, it's the only lead we got right now." Mr. Stark quietly agreed, and rattled off the possible causes for a core to destabilize, but none of them seemed to apply to Danny. Peter kept them in mind anyway, but just as he was about to make another suggestion, Mr. Stark spoke up.

"There maybe another way to help him," Mr. Stark stated hesitantly. "Some of the concepts the Fenton's discussed in their research were a bit... mystical." Peter blinked.

"Mystical?" He repeated skeptically, and Mr. Stark sighed.

"Don't make me say it," Mr. Stark huffed in irritation, and Peter's jaw dropped.

"Your talking about magic," Peter realized, and both Danny and Fido looked somewhat intrigued while Wade slapped a hand over his eyes.

"Oh, great," Wade moaned sourly as Danny looked between the two of them.

"Yes, I'm talking about magic," Mr. Stark hissed sullenly, "And luckily for us, we know a wizard in New York."

"You really think Dr. Strange could help?" Peter contemplated, and Mr. Stark sighed heavily.

"It's the only option that's left besides going to his parents," Mr. Stark admitted. "If you're serious about not involving them, this is your best shot." Peter nodded, a his heart lifting.

"Thanks for your help, Tony," Peter said.

"Keep me posted, Peter," Mr. Stark responded, and the line clicked dead. Peter pushed his phone back into his pocket, and turned to face Danny, Wade, and Fido, debating what to do next.

Peter knew magic was something that both Mr. Stark and Wade were extremely uncomfortable with. Mr. Stark disliked magic because it defied all natural laws of physics and science, while Wade had some terrible experiences with it; they both tended to stay as far away from it as possible. And while Peter saw magic as a concept he didn't quite understand, he was still very wary of it, especially because it tended to agitate his spidey sense. Not only that, but Dr. Strange wasn't exactly known for warm welcomes. He and Mr. Stark had come to a tentative truce due to some disaster or another, and Peter knew him tentatively as well, but he tended to keep to himself. Peter licked his lips as a plan formed.

* * *

Danny sat enraptured under his burrow of blankets as Peter explained to him that magic (or more specifically the Mystic Arts) was apparently a thing, and there was a wizard (or a Master of the Mystic Arts?) called Dr. Strange who lived in Greenwich Village that might be able to help. Peter purposed that because ghosts were mystical beings (in a sense), Dr. Strange could possibly be able to help Danny when science couldn't. Danny had always considered paranormal studies as just another obscure science thanks to his parents research, but ever since his accident and experiencing the ghost zone for himself he had begun to notice a more spiritual aspect to it as well. Even with the dire situation he was in, he couldn't help being curious and a bit excited that he might be able to put a label on some of the things he previously couldn't explain about his powers.

After Peter explained the basics, he suggested that he and Danny should go visit Dr. Strange themselves, and Wade had protested at first even though he was obviously uncomfortable with the idea. Eventually Peter wore Wade down, reasoning that Dr. Strange was fairly protective and secretive of his home, and that someone should to stay behind with Fido. Wade grudgingly agreed, and got up off the couch to call in his trusty taxi driver. As they waited for Dopinder to arrive at the apartment, Peter bustled about, trying to get things ready to make the trip easier for Danny. He pushed a thermos filled a with more hot tea into Danny's hand, dug out a pair of microwavable hand warmers and stuffed them in his pockets, and lent him a thicker coat to put over Wade's jacket, making sure the hood was up. When Dopinder finally reached the apartment, Danny reluctantly withdrew form his nest of blankets, and after a quick goodbye to Wade and Fido, he and Peter had rushed to the taxi and they were off.

Danny squirmed, tucking himself closer to Peter as Dopinder made another hair raising turn, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. While he hadn't necessarily been comfortable under the blankets back at the apartment, walking to the taxi in the fall afternoon had felt like trekking throught the arctic tundra. Even now, with the car's heater at maximum, Danny felt like he had laid down in a pile of snow. Peter's mouth pulled into a worried frown as he put an arm around Danny's shoulder and rubbed at his sides, passing him the thermos and urging him to take a sip. Danny took a huge gulp before passing it back, watching the city fly by through the taxi window as Dopinder weaved through traffic and slipped past yellow lights.

With Dopinder's driving, them managed to make it to Greenwich Village in twenty minutes. As the car stopped and Danny exited the taxi, he took a surprised breath as his core vibrated in his chest. The building in front of him was three stories tall, made of red brick and lined with carved stone pillars. Each floor was filled with tall windows surrounded by wrought iron fencing and a few had tiny balconies to walk out on. The third floor was part of the metal tiled roof, weathered green with age, and in the center of the roof was a large circular window decorated with a strange symbol. The mansion stuck out like a sore thumb, surrounded by bodegas, other shops, and restaurants, but seemed oddly suited for it's location. Danny gulped as he stared at the building, trying to place the somewhat familiar feeling that washed over him. It felt similar to the ghost zone, but it had a more... Oppressive? Discouraging? Unwelcoming energy to it. Danny exhaled shakily as Peter exited the car and Dopinder drove off. He hoped whoever this wizard was could help him - he didn't think he could take much more of this, and the thought of contacting his parents made him nauseous.

"So this is it?" Danny asked and Peter nodded.

"This is it," Peter confirmed roughly, one hand fiddling with the thermos. They both were silent before Danny coughed awkwardly, shuddering as the deeper chill seeped back into his body.

"So," Danny hesitated, "Do we just go up and knock, or what?" Peter chuckled dryly and took a step forward.

Before Danny could follow him, Peter tensed and shielded Danny with his arm. A new energy washed over Danny's skin, and his body was covered in goose bumps as reality warped and cracked in front of them like a broken mirror. Peter looked around wildly, keeping Danny at his back, and Danny blinked; nobody else on the street seemed to notice what was happening. Danny grabbed onto Peter's back to try and get his attention when a ring of sparking light formed on the steps leading to the mansion and a man stepped through before the ring disappeared. His dark hair was swept back out of his face, and he had a neatly trimmed beard covering his chin. The man wore a strange deep blue robe under a red velvet, high collar cloak, and loose dark brown pants. Circled high around his waist was a complicated leather belt, and he wore simple boots.

Around the man's neck was an amulet that looked like an ornamental eye with a green gemstone set in the middle as the pupil, and same symbol that was on the rose window on the mansion also covering the iris. The green hue of the gemstone and the feeling it gave off tugged at Danny's memory; he was sure he had seen an amulet like that before. His core pinged weakly as he glanced at the amulet, urging him to get a closer look, but Danny decided to stay with Peter for now. The man on the stairs pierced Peter with a look then shifted his eyes to Danny. Danny flinched, and shuffled further behind Peter's back.

"Parker," The man intoned as he crossed his arms, and it sounded like a greeting, a question, and a reprimand all at once.

"Dr. Strange," Peter acknowledged, relaxing marginally. "This is-."

"I know who you brought, Parker," Dr. Strange stated curtly, and both Peter and Danny jolted.

"You know who I am?" Danny asked cautiously from behind Peter.

"I keep a list of begins from other realms that may be a threat to this world," Dr. Strange declared, and Danny felt his core stutter and his stomach plummet. "That boy is one of the entities on it." Peter blinked before he gulped and took a step forward.

"Strange, I know Danny's ghost abilities make him powerful," Peter began gravely, "But he's sick. His core could be destablizing, and you're one of the last options we have left. Please, you have to help him." Dr. Strange stiffened before he spoke.

"I can't," Dr. Strange gritted out, "Not until I know exactly _what_ he is." Peter bristled.

"He's a fifteen year old kid!" Peter seethed, gesturing angrily, "And he could be _dying_! That should be enough for you, _Doctor!_ " Dr. Strange swelled up, his cloak billowing outward has he hovered a few feet off the ground.

"You have no idea what your dealing with!" Dr. Strange yelled, his voice booming and echoing around them as his hands sparked and glowed, and Danny's core shook. "Nor what you ask of me! Do you know what Sanctum Sanctorum means? _Holy of Holies_. This isn't just my home, Parker; it's the resting place for thousands of magical relics and ancient tomes, the largest collection of mystic knowledge in the world. I _cannot_ allow just any multidimensional entity access to it, not without knowing I can trust them!" Peter was about to retort when Danny stepped around him and planted himself between the two of them, his hands raised and palms open.

"Then test me," Danny suggested as his teeth chattered, barely keeping his arms up as they were wracked with tremors. "You said you don't know if you can trust me. So test me."

"Danny!" Peter exclaimed in disbelief, but Danny help up one of his index fingers before Peter could continue, asking him to wait. Peter paused, and Danny proceeded.

"You don't know me," Danny told Dr. Strange through his trembling lips, and Dr. Strange stared him down. "You don't trust me. I get that. So do whatever you need to and I'll prove to you that I am trustworthy." Dr. Strange eyes bored into Danny's before he lifted his hands and made a series of complicated gestures. Symbols and shapes sparked into existence and Danny watched, enraptured as they seamlessly wove together into a complicated circle that reminded him of runes. Dr. Strange threw it at Danny's feet after the circle was complete, and Danny flinched as his core spiked in agitation as the enchantment burned itself into the pavement around him. Peter made an aborted step forward, but otherwise clenched his fists.

"This spell prevents any specters with ill intentions from leaving the circle," Dr. Strange explained as he floated down the steps and touched down in front of Danny. "It doesn't just take your present thoughts into account. It perceives your past actions as well. Cross the circle; attempt any trickery and I will know, and I won't hesitate to leave you in this dimension, forever." Danny swallowed his nerves as he lowered his hands, shuffling to the edge of the glowing sigil while Peter made a sound of protest. His core was vibrating uneasily and his hair stood on end while his shivering got worse. He couldn't afford to stall. Danny closed his eyes as he exhaled shakily, putting all of his being into one thing.

 _I'm not going to do any harm,_ Danny thought. _I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm not evil. I don't want to **be**_ _evil. I use my powers to help my friends. I save people._ _I **protect** them, and_ _I'll **keep** protecting them_.

With that last thought, he took a step forward. It felt like going under a waterfall; a weight pressing down on his entire body and his core as energy flowed around and through him. The release of pressure when he made it to the other side was like coming up for air, and the feeling made him gasp and trip slightly. The enchantment fizzled out as it slowly disappeared, bits and pieces floating up like glowing embers in a campfire. Peter exhaled in relief and began to make his way around the last remnants of the spell as it dissipated. Danny turned his attention to Dr. Strange, an saw he was looking at Danny in a mixture of surprise and relief. Danny was about to speak when the noticed the edges of his vision were darkening. He wobbled for a moment, then collapsed with Peter's shout of concern ringing in his ears.

* * *

Danny woke up on a comfy leather couch inside a dimly lit room in front of a lit fireplace, covered in a thick quilt. The coat Peter had lent him was draped along the back of the couch and Wade's jacket was folded in a pillow under his head, leaving him in own long sleeved shirt and sweatpants. He pushed himself up while looking around the room in interest as he unfolded Wade's jacket and shrugged it over his shoulders, feeling comforted having it on. The room was filled with oddities Danny had never seen before and couldn't even begin to name, some displayed in cases along the walls, others propped up out in the open on tables. The familiar feeling he had when he first saw the mansion was all around him and it nagged at something in his core. The whole place felt like the ghost portal, only... different. Less intense. He decided to put it out of his mind for now, instead relishing in the feeling of _warmth_ for the first time in days.

Danny gave himself a once over, inspecting his body and his core. His limbs were unusually achy, like he had just finished an intense work out. His throat was a little parched, and he was surprised to find that he was hungry. He reached down inside himself, letting his core flare slightly to check it's reaction. His didn't feel his core bloom like it normally did; it felt restricted, like a sprained ankle when it was stretched. Danny was about to try changing forms when a voice spoke from behind him.

"You're awake," A man said calmly, his speech accented.

Danny whirled around, jumping off the couch and taking a step back. Then man wore robes and pants similar to Dr. Strange, only instead of blue, they were burgundy red. Rather than a complicated leather belt, he had a more simple wide cloth and corded sash around his waist, and leather bracers on his forearms. His black hair was buzzed short, and he had a thin mustache on his upper lip and in the center of his chin. He stood straight with his hands clasped behind his back, and regarded Danny calmly, if a little bit warily. Danny tired to relax as he padded around the couch, gathering Peter's coat to his chest and holding it like a shield. The man stared impassively before he spoke again.

"I am Wong," he introduced stiffly. "An alley of Dr. Strange, and a Master of the Mystic Arts."

"Danny," he cautiously replied back and Wong nodded curtly.

"Follow me," Wong stated and he turned around, walking briskly out the door. "I will bring you to Dr. Strange and Mr. Parker."

Danny quickly followed him, struggling slightly to keep up while he tried to take in all of the strangeness of the mansion. It seemed bigger on the inside that what Danny had assumed from how it looked on the outside, and was filled with more curio's and antiques than Danny had ever seen before. Wong led him through various hallways and up a single grand staircase to what Danny guessed was the middle floor, passing more relics on display. Some of them made his core buzz in excitement and others in trepidation, and the part of Danny that incited him to wander into his parents portal was itching to explore. That nagging feeling of familiarity came back, and his core urged him to leave Wong to meander on his own, compelling him to go deeper into the mansion. Danny ignored it, smart enough to know his hosts would be extremely displeased with his curiosity.

Wong guided him to a large, personal library that was filled wall to wall with shelves and packed with books of all shapes and sizes. Some were so small they could fit in Danny's palm, while others were as large as text books. A few that Danny could see were as thin as a spiral bound notebook while others were as thick as dictionaries. There were a handful of titles Danny could read, but the rest were written in languages he couldn't understand, and even more that he couldn't even recognize. A large oak table with two lamps at each end was situated in the center of the room and small towers of books were scattered across the surface.

Peter and Dr. Strange were conversing tensely at one of the book shelves as Dr. Strange pulled out a book, flipped a few pages before putting it back or throwing it behind him. Danny watched in a dazed awe as Dr. Strange's red cloak hovered in the air by itself and animatedly caught each tome before placing it on top of the growing piles. When the cloak faced Danny and Wong, it jolted in surprise before rushing over to Dr. Strange and tapping on his shoulder with a corner of itself. Dr. Strange turned, and Peter turned with him, gasping in relief as he spotted Danny. Peter rushed over to him, gathering him in a hug that made Danny's ribs creak.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Peter whispered in his hair, and Danny nodded into Peter chest as he returned the gesture. Once the separated, Peter shot Dr. Strange a look and Dr. Strange rolled his eyes slightly as he stepped forward.

"Dr. Stephen Strange," He introduced, "I apologize for your earlier treatment. It's nothing personal, but I have an obligation to protect this place." Dr. Strange held out his hand for Danny to shake as his cloak settled back on his shoulders. Danny faintly noticed his hand shook with delicate tremors and was covered in thin scars as he gripped it.

"Danny Fenton," Danny replied back smoothly, "And no problem, I totally get it." It was probably the only thing about this place Danny _would_ understand. If even half of the things he saw were as magical (mystical?) as Dr. Strange's cloak, then it would make sense why he was so protective. This place was probably infused with so much energy and magic that it was a little sentient itself. Kinda like a ghost lair.

"And thank you for helping me," Danny smiled, but it dimmed when he felt Peter tense at his side and Dr. Strange grimaced.

"You're not out of the woods yet, I'm afraid," Dr. Strange remarked, and Danny's breath stuttered.

"But-," Danny began, completely stunned, and Peter rubbed at his shoulders, "But I feel fine now. Even my core feels better. It's just a little weak right now."

"We're just treating the symptoms, so to speak," Dr. Strange explained, going back to the shelf and pulling out another book. "Unless we find the cause, it's only a matter of time before you go back to how you were." Danny shuddered, holding onto his arms.

"So what do we do?" Peter intervened, his voice firm.

"If I can narrow do the type of apparition Danny falls under, then I can find the reason his core is destabilizing," Dr. Strange clarified distractedly as he searched through the volume in his hands. "But I'm having trouble locating a text that references the term 'halfa'. Unless you have another term I can look for, I'll have to go through each text one by one."

"There is another option," Wong spoke up from behind the table, and all eyes turned to him. "Each class of apparition has a distinct form that can be observed in the Astral Plane. Perhaps you can limit your search by looking for the form rather than a name." Dr. Strange snapped the book shut and shoved it back in its slot, rubbing his beard in thought as Danny and Peter shot them questioning looks.

"What's the Astral Plane?" Danny asked.

"The Astral Plane is a parallel dimension where one's soul can exist outside their body," Wong answered promptly, and Danny felt himself pale and beads of sweat form on his brow. "Most Masters of the Mystic Arts can project their own spirits into the Astral Plane, and a few skilled Masters are able to push other's souls there for shot periods of time."

"Nope," Danny stated hysterically, making an attempt to flee the room but was caught by Peter's Velcro fingers. "Nope, not doing it. That's a big fat no from me!"

"I can assure you," Dr. Strange declared comfortingly, "Astral projection is completely safe."

"Yeah, maybe for you!" Danny countered, hunching deeper into Wade's hoodie. Peter used his strength to gently pull Danny back.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Peter requested softly. "You're pale." Danny gnawed frantically at his lip.

"Nothing good ever happens when I'm separated from my body," Danny promised, reminded of the disaster that was the Fenton Ghost-Catcher, and how Dan was created.

"You've Astral Projected before?" Wong inquired, astonished. Danny shrugged.

"My ghost's been detached from my body before, but I never entered an different dimension," Danny clarified, still uneasy about the idea. Wong and Dr. Strange looked troubled at the news.

"Danny, entering the Astral Plane is very different than what you experienced," Dr. Strange insisted. "I promise you, no harm will come to your spirit or your body. Time is relatively slower in the Astral Plane that it is in the Material Realm. You'll only be leaving your body for a few seconds."

"You promise?" Danny asked weakly, and he hated how childlike he sounded, but he had to be sure. He had to make absolutely sure that he wouldn't-, that Dan _wouldn't_ -.

"I swear, on my life and the Mystic Arts, you won't be hurt," Dr. Strange pledged resolutely, and Danny heaved a quivering breath.

"All right," Danny consented, gripping at the sleeves of Wade's hoodie anxiously. "How does this work?" Dr. Strange led Danny and Peter deeper into the library to another couch, Wong trailing behind them. He gestured for Danny to sit in the middle, and after an additional gesture, Peter sat at his side on the farthest end. Dr. Strange sat on the other end while Wong stood behind the couch.

"I'm going to put one hand on your shoulder and my other on your chest," Dr. Strange warned, and did so after Danny gave him a quick nod. He put the heel of his palm directly over Danny's heart. "This might feel a bit odd."

Before Danny could reply, Dr. Strange quickly _pushed_ _him_ out of his body and he fell back as reality folded around him, Dr. Strange quickly following. Danny's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. It looked and felt as if a film was covering his entire body. Everything was still as time slowed to a crawl, and Danny watched through the thin fabric of the Astral Dimension as his body gradually started to drift back into Peter's arms. The room was now covered in mists and trails of energy, some of the signatures sparking like distant stars while other's swelled and arched like solar filaments. It felt like Danny was swimming in a nebula. 

"My God..." Dr. Strange whispered astoundedly from behind him, and Danny quickly turned to him. Dr. Strange looked just like his body's counter part sans his cloak, but he was transparent as if he was was intangible. Danny looked down at himself and understood the sentiment.

Instead of being translucent like Dr. Strange, he was oddly more solid. Rather than the clothes he wore to the mansion or his Phantom jumpsuit, Danny was wearing a dark leather tunic and leggings, with decorative leather bracers on his forearms. On his hip attached to a belt around his waist was an ethereal sword surrounded by white fire. Around his shoulders was a velvet fur lined cloak covered in a thing sheet of frost that shimmered like jewels. On his head, floating inches above his hair, rested a familiar crown glowing in green gossamer energy. And in the center of his chest was a glowing green orb that was surrounded by a familiar orange sparking light.

As Danny went to cradle the orb in his hands, he realized with a start that this was his core, and the other energy was the remnants of whatever Dr. Strange had done to heal him. Bringing his core up to his face for inspection, Danny noticed something worrying. If he had a physical heart in this dimension, it would have surely stopped. A small sliver of his core was missing, leaving a gaping crack along the surface. Ectoplasm leaked slowly from the open sore before being caught in the spell Dr. Strange had placed over it, revitalizing the enchantment and making it glow. Danny swallowed; there was hole in his core - a literal wound on his _soul_. Dr. Strange must have realized he was starting to panic, because he quickly floated to Danny's side.

"Time to go," Dr. Strange said, and that was the only warning Danny got before he was pushed out of the Astral Plane and back into his body. True to Dr. Strange's word, only a few seconds had passes while they were in the Astral plane, and Danny was back in his body before he even landed in Peter's arms. He jolted forward with a harsh exhale, bringing his hands to his chest as if he could still ~~protect~~ cradle his core in his hands. Dr. Strange woke more gently, but instantly jumped off the couch to run back and rifle through the towers of books left on the table.

"Strange!" Wong called out, and went to follow him. Meanwhile, Peter rubbed soothingly at Danny's hunched back.

"Danny?" Peter questioned worriedly, and Danny shook his head.

"I'm all right," Danny whispered. "I just-, wasn't expecting to see that."

"See what?" Peter asked, and Danny shut his eyes.

"My core," Danny answered honestly. "There's-, there's a crack in my ghost core." Peter paled, dragging Danny off the couch to follow Wong and Dr. Strange.

When they returned to the table, Wong was standing off to the side is exasperation as Dr. Strange sorted through the piles of books. His cloak was floating by itself again, using it's corners like arms and holding the tomes and journals Dr. Strange was frantically discarding.

"I know what type of apparition Danny is," Dr. Strange insisted as he snatched a leather bound journal from the stack, read the spine, and tossed it aside for his cloak to catch. He picked up the next book, and made a sound of triumph as he started to flip through the pages. The cloak floated and dropped the new stack of books on a free space on the table, zipping back over to strange and hovering over his shoulder like it was reading along. Danny could barely make out the title along the spine of the tome through the fancy script.

_₮Ʉ₮ɆⱠ₳ⱤłɆ₴ ₳₦Đ Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ ₱ⱤØ₮Ɇ₵₮łVɆ ₳₱₱₳Ɽł₮łØ₦₴_

"Danny is a Tutelary," Dr. Strange announced as he flipped through more pages, and Danny blinked.

"Gesundheit?" Danny replied back, and Peter nudged his shoulder in exasperation while Dr. Strange sighed and his cloak lifted one of its corners to its collar, like it was face palming.

"Teenagers," Dr. Strange muttered before turning the book around, showing Peter and Danny what he had found.

Danny couldn't read the hand written, flowing script but he studied the pictures in the book. The diagrams showed a variety of people, who Danny realized were spirits. They appeared to be specters from different areas of the world, all dressed in drastically different clothes, but they all had a few things in common. Each spirit wore some variant of protective armor, either thick tunics or shields; in their hands or on their hips was some type of weapon, like a sword or spear; on their heads was a type of head ornament, like a crown or a headdress; and they all had orbs of energy somewhere on their bodies, like their chests, foreheads, or stomachs.

"A tutelary," Dr. Strange explained as he handed the book to Danny, "Is a guardian spirit or deity that protects a specific place, person, lineage, or culture. Many specters can become tutelaries if they have strong feelings of protectiveness."

"So what does that mean for me?" Danny piped up as he handed the book to Peter. "Why is there a-, a _hole_ in my core?" Dr. Strange frowned.

"Tutelaries have an anchor," Dr. Strange clarified, "A reason for existing that keeps them tethered. Without it..."

"They fade out of existence," Danny finished before he shook his head in denial; an anchor sounded a lot like a ghost obsession. "But that doesn't make sense, I never had an anchor to begin with!"

"Perhaps your anchor was so natural that you didn't notice it," Dr. Strange suggested, "But what matters right now is fixing your core. Your core is destabilizing because you lost sight of part of your anchor; re-establish your anchor, and your core will heal itself."

"Can't you fix it?" Danny begged, and Dr. Strange shook his head.

"This isn't a physical wound I can heal," Dr. Strange stated, "It's a spiritual one, and no amount of Mystic Arts can heal that. The seal I placed on you is simply containing the raw ectoplasm leaking from your core, which was causing the hypothermia. It's not healing you."

"What happens if I can't find an anchor?" Danny asked anxiously, and Dr. Strange flinched.

"I'm not sure," Dr. Strange answered honestly. "If you were a full apparition, you would eventually fade away, but as a hybrid, one of two things could happen. The first is you simply might lose your powers. The second... If your ghost half is too intertwined with your living half, the shock of your core disappearing might just kill you." Danny sucked in a terrified breath and the Sanctum fell into a grave silence.

* * *

Somewhere deep within the ghost zone, a clock continued to tick.

**Author's Note:**

> Shit's getting wild everyone, hold onto your butts.


End file.
